Saturday, November 10, 2007

Though these two interviews are actually from last December this show has generated a lot of bad feelings though this author did not have a chance to see it. The complaints have varied from choice of objects to tickets being too expensive and galleries being way over packed.

A short interview with Egypt's Supreme council of antiquities, Secretary general Dr. Zahi Hawass.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The mortuary temple of the 18Th Dynasty King Amenhotep III must have been quite the most sumptuous ever created.

This king's reign was an artistic high, sadly little more than a century later an earthquake partially destroyed it and a 19Th Dynasty king made his funerary monument out of the older monuments blocks.

On the upside King Merenptah had the blocks turned around and re carved for himself thus the older carvings were unseen and protected.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

In a speech made by Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities a few of years ago in Paris to members of UNESCO's Intergovernmental committee for the return of cultural heritage. Dr. Hawass made a fiery speech which did not help his cause and left 5 museums thinking "I lend my piece to Dr. Hawass and I will never see it again".

The biggest fight has been with the Berlin museum over a bust of Nefertiti which is the museums star. Dr. Hawass has irritated its director with repeated requests followed by Berlin's denial saying the bust is too fragile to travel.

Each of these denials has infuriated Dr. Hawass who clearly see's the bust as stolen. At this point there is a strong belief among some that Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities will just steal it back, if it ever gets its hands on it.

When we think Egyptology most people may think of the Rosetta stone like the Nefertiti bust, the museums star. The Rosetta stone is the British Museum's most visited object, even more so than its Elgin marbles.

As Egyptian antiquities go it is possibly the most famous object in the world and if Dr. Hawass was to get his hands on this object the President for life of Egypt would pin a medal on the doctor and the doctor would become a national hero and the stone would never see England again. Although I am sure the Cairo museum would be happy to send its copy back.

Likewise the Louvre can more than likely kiss the Dendara zodiac goodbye if they ever sent it back.

However in the last 2 cases the objects may be unique but perhaps not important enough for the Egyptian authorities to risk damaging their reputation perhaps loosing millions of dollars. I think Boston should overlook Dr. Hawass's poor diplomatic abilities and loan its bust of Ankhaf which was given through division of finds by the staff of the Cairo museum and is not seen as a stolen object.

Perhaps someday the more important of these objects will be able to be loaned back to Egypt but I don't think the director of Berlin's Neues Museum is in any rush to help the doctor get a medal pinned to his chest.

What should turn out to be an interesting excavation, I have long wondered when such excavations would be done. The Nile must be an absolute treasure trove of objects lost or given to the Nile God Hapy.

The boy Pharaoh will be put in climate controlled case visible to tourists for the first time. The effects of thousands of visitor a day are taking their toll and must also be damaging his outer gilded coffin which lies unprotected in his quartzite sarcophagus.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

This stela was found by August Mariette during his clearance around the sphinx in the little temple of Isis east of the great pyramid sometime between ca. 1853-58 CE.

"He made for his mother, Isis, Divine mother; Hathor, mistress of Nun. The record was placed upon this stela. He gave to her an offering anew and he built her temple of stone again. He found these gods in her place.

The district of the sphynx of Harmakhis is on the south of the abode of Isis, Mistress of the pyramid; on the north of Osiris Lord of Rosta. The words of the goddess of Harmakhis were brought in order to be recorded.

---may he grow; may he live forever and ever facing toward the east.

As Horus lives, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt; Khufu who is given life. He found the abode of Isis, Mistress of the pyramid, beside the house of the sphynx of Harmakhis on the northwest of the house of Osiris, Lord of Rosta. He built his pyramid beside the temple of this goddess, and a pyramid for his daughter Henutsen beside the goddesses temple."

"Now it came to pass that his majesty sat in the audience hall, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebpehtire the Son of Re, Ahmose I given life; while the hereditary princess were great in favor, great in amiability, kings daughter, kings sister, divine consort, great kings wife, Ahmose Nofretari who liveth, was with his majesty.

One spoke with the other seeking benefactions for the departed, to present libations of water to offer upon the alter, to enrich the offering tablet at the first of every season at the monthly feast at the first of the month, the feast of the coming forth of the sem, the feast of the night offerings on the fifth of the month, the feast of the sixth of the month, the feast of Hakro, the feast of the wag, the feast of Toth, and at the first of every season in heaven and of earth. His sister spoke and answered him; Wherefore has this been remembered? And why has this word been spoken? What has come into thy heart?

The king spoke to her; I it is who have remembered the mother of my mother, Teteshiri triumphant. She already has a tomb and a mortuary chapel on the soil of Thebes and Abydos, I have said this to thee in that my majesty has desired to have made for her a pyramid and a house in Tauzeser as a monumental donation of my majesty. Its lake shall be dug and its trees planted, its offering will be founded equipped with people endowed with lands, presented with herds, mortuary priests and ritual priests having their duties, every man knowing his stipulation.

Lo his majesty spoke this word while this was in the process of construction. His majesty did this because he so greatly loved her, beyond everything. Never did former kings the like of it for their mothers. Lo his majesty extended his arm and bent his hand, be pronounced for her a mortuary prayer..............."

Monday, October 8, 2007

"...King's wife Nubkhas, his royal wife in the place of his, it being protected with blocks covered in mortar. We penetrated them all and found her resting likewise. We opened their coffins and their coverings in which they were. We found the august mummy of this king,. There was a numerous list of amulets and ornaments of gold at its throat; its head had a mask of gold upon it; the august mummy of this king was laid with gold throughout. Its coverings were wrought with gold and silver within an without; inlaid with every costly stone.

We stripped off the gold which we found on the august mummy of this god, and its amulets and ornaments which were at its throat and the coverings wherein it rested. We found the kings wife likewise; we stripped off all we found on her likewise. We set fire to their coverings. We stole their furniture which we found with them, being vases of gold, silver and bronze. We divided and made the gold which we found on these two gods, on their mummies, and the amulets and ornaments and coverings into eight parts."

Discovery channel's two-hour program on finding the mummy of the female king was interesting with amazing access to the royal mummies. However, for people like myself who read and watch everything I can on Egypt's mummy collection, I could not help but notice a huge error.

The mummy being marketed in the show as unknown women "B" from the Deir el Bahari cache was, in fact, unknown women "D" from the tomb of Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings complete with her raised toe on her left foot.

The fact that Dr. Zahi Hawass was able to accept that the mummy identified as Thutmosis I was not that king, is good, most people interested in this subject realized this many decades ago. However, it is worrying that unknown women "D" now has CT scan records identified as belonging to unknown women "B".

With such an obvious mistake occurring it leaves me to wonder about the final sensational results of the finding of Hatshepsut, though all appears to be well. How such a mistake could occur among all these experts from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, its director, as well as the staff of the Cairo Egyptian museum amazes me that not one of them realized the error.

Dr. Hawass should correct this mistake before the CT scan on unknown women "D" gets filed away under the title of unknown women "B" and forgotten. The mistake, unfortunately, is almost as big as the discovery.

Small and misleading graphic showing unknown woman "A" lying next to unknown woman "B" with the Hatshepsut box described as being between them in the last chamber of DB320. To my knowledge, the excavator of DB320 never made any notes in regard to the position that either of these mummies or the box were found in the tomb.

"Look to your feet ye people! Behold the load is very heavy! Prosperity be with us for the sake of the myrrh tree in the midst of gods land for the house of Amen, there is a place it shall be made to grow for Maatkare in his temple according to his command.

The loading of the ships very heavily with the marvels of the country of Punt; all goodly fragrant woods of gods land, heaps of myrrh resin with fresh myrrh trees, with ebony and pure ivory, with green gold of Emu, with cinnamon wood, khesyt wood, with ihmut incense, sonter incense, eye cosmetic, with apes and monkeys, dogs and with skins of the southern panther, with natives and their children. Never was brought the like of for any king who has been since the beginning.

Sailing, arriving in peace, journeying to Thebes with joy of heart by the army of the Lord of the Two Lands, with the chiefs of this country behind them. They have brought that, the like of which was not brought for other kings, being marvels of Punt, because of the greatness of the fame of this revered god, Amen Re Lord of Thebes."

Discovered in the temple of Deir el Bahari by E. Naville the surviving left side bears inscriptions that credit the shrines creation to Thutmosis II for Thutmosis I, however, the nuances of the piece suggest it was actually created on orders of Hatshepsut, this may even be the remains of the ebony shrine created by Thutiy and mentioned in his own tomb inscriptions.

"The good god, Lord of the two lands, lord of offering, lord of diadems, who hath taken the crown of two lands, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Aakheperenre the son of Re, Thutmosis II, he made it as his monument for his father, Amen-Re, making for him an august shrine of ebony of the best of the highlands, that she might live and abide for him like Re, forever"

"...the timid man flourishes, praised is he who is upright, open is the chamber to the silent, spacious is the seat of a man of cautious word. Sharp are the knives against the one who forces his way, that he not pass, save in his due season.

If you sit in the company of others, resist the food you desire, restrain your heart, gluttony brings disregard. A handful of water quenches the thirst, a mouthful of herbs brings strength to the heart. A good act takes place of what is good, yet just a little takes place of much.

Repulsive is the voracious, should time pass and he forget who's house he entered. If you sit with a glutton, eat when his appetite has passed. Should you drink with a drunkard, drink when his heart is glad. Do not help yourself to meat from the table of a glutton, accept his offering do not refuse it on courtesy.

He who is blameless of taking more than is his, no word can prevail against. The shy face and impassive heart, the struggle is kinder than his mother, all are beholden to him. Let your name be spoken though your lips remain closed.

When you are called forth be not great of heart because of your strength among piers lest you be denied. One sees not the future and how god punishes.

The Vizier had his children brought forth after he had acquired the knowledge of men their presence having come upon him. He said to them " All that is written in this book do as I have told you, do as has been set for you". Then they laid on their stomachs before him and recited out loud that which had been written down. Their hearts were filled with good above anything in the entire land. They rose up and sat down in accordance.

His majesty the king of upper and lower Egypt Huni came to the west and his majesty Sneferu ascended the throne of his father in all his beneficence in the entire land. Kagemni made overseer of the city and Vizier."

"To Tiye Lady of Egypt
Thus speaks Tushratta King of the Mitanni
Approximately 1350 bc

All is well with me.
May all be well with you.
May all go well in your house, for your son, may all be perfectly well for your soldiers and for all belonging to you.

You are the one who knows that I have felt friendship for your husband, that your husband had felt friendship for me.
The things that I wrote and told your husband and things that your husband told me, were known to you. But it is to you who knows better than anyone, the things we have told each other. No one knows better than you.

You should continue sending joyous envoys, one after another. Do not stop them coming.
I shall not forget the friendship with your husband. This friendship is ten fold for your son.

You are the one who knows the words of your husband, but still I have not received your gift of homage which your husband ordered. I have asked your husband for colossal gold statues but your son sent me statues of gilded wood. As gold is like dust in your sons country, why have their been reason for such pain's that your son not to have given to me. Neither has he given what his father gave to me?"

AUTHORS NOTE: This letter was found at the queen's son's capital and may well have never been read or responded to by the queen mother who visited her son's capital perhaps maybe only once.
The queen mother probably lived out her golden years in her palace at Malquatta near Thebes.